X
CNET logo Why You Can Trust CNET

Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement

Definitive Technology BPX review: Definitive Technology BPX

Definitive Technology BPX

Ivan Berger
See full bio
Ivan Berger
2 min read
2000
Definitive Technology's BPX surround speakers were designed with the understanding that most of us plan to use them while watching both DVD movies with digital surround sound as well as TV and videotapes with analog surround sound. There's some agreement that the best surround speakers for Dolby Pro Logic surround are dipoles, which are aimed to point sound toward the front and back of the room rather than directly at the audience, while for Dolby Digital and DTS, the best speakers are conventional monopoles, firing at the listener. Definitive Technology's BPX surround speakers were designed with the understanding that most of us plan to use them while watching both DVD movies with digital surround sound as well as TV and videotapes with analog surround sound. There's some agreement that the best surround speakers for Dolby Pro Logic surround are dipoles, which are aimed to point sound toward the front and back of the room rather than directly at the audience, while for Dolby Digital and DTS, the best speakers are conventional monopoles, firing at the listener.

And this is where bipolar surround speakers come in. They diffuse analog surround signals enough to conceal the fact that both surround speakers handle the same signal with Pro Logic. They also provide enough directional cues to take advantage of the fact that, with Dolby Digital and DTS, the surround channels each get separate signals. As the bullets fly in movies such as Eraser, you'll really feel like you're in the middle of the action.

9.0

Definitive Technology BPX

The Good

Works great with Dolby Pro Logic and Dolby Digital.

The Bad

Not cheap.

The Bottom Line

An almost ideal balance of characteristics for a surround speaker.

The Wedge
Definitive Technology's bipolar surround speakers are wedge-shaped, with drivers on the angled sides. The middle model in the range, the BPX, has two 5.25-inch bass-midrange drivers and one aluminum-dome tweeter per side. (The top model, the BPVX/P, has larger drivers and two powered subwoofers.) Definitive Technology recommends placing the speakers high on a side wall (or on the rear wall, if listeners will be sitting up against it), and wall-mounting plates are supplied. For $399 each, the BPX speakers come in white, or for $450 apiece, you can have them in glossy black.

The sound was much like that of the matching BP2002TL towers, though with much less bass. The treble found the equilibrium that is so important in surround speakers; its sounds were very natural, yet not so prominent as to call undue attention to the surround effects. All in all, the BPX has an almost ideal balance of frequency and directional characteristics for surround.